Microsoft says August Windows updates may cause gaming issues

Key Points:

• Microsoft is investigating issues with the August 2026 update (KB5121003) that cause some games on Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2 to freeze, crash, or fail to launch, with symptoms including EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION errors and unexpected system restarts.
• Affected games reported include ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals, with users urged to report problems via the Feedback Hub app.
• Embark Studios identified the cause as changes to the inpoutx64.sys Windows kernel driver and provided a temporary workaround involving stopping and deleting the driver file to restore game functionality.
• Microsoft has a history of Windows updates causing gaming issues, such as the Easy Anti-Cheat blue screens in 2024 and Auto HDR compatibility problems, and is working on an official fix for this new problem.
• The KB5121003 update also included Secure Boot, File Explorer, and Windows Search improvements, but has inadvertently impacted game stability on some systems.